Apple may add an eraser and interchangeable tips to the next Pencil

AppleInsider dug up a patent Apple filed back in 2012 that shows what the company could be planning for the next iteration of its stylus. According to the patent, Apple detailed a Pencil that could have interchangeable nibs — with options ranging from different types of standard tips like a felt-tip pen, to more intricate hardware options like a force-sensing bristle brush tip or a motion-tracking camera.

Even fingerprint recognition was mentioned as a way to authenticate the Apple Pencil, which is kind of weird for a device with limited potential privacy issues, but I feel like Apple will put Touch ID on everything humanly possible just to piss off the government at this point. Of course details in patents don’t always make their way into products, especially when it comes to companies like Apple that files a patent for every decent idea it comes up with. But there are only so many different ways to improve a stylus, and there’s a good chance that we will get at least some of these features in the next version of the Pencil.